Why do people think it is a good idea to walk in the street whenever there is a major snowfall? The campus area is the worst, but you get some defiant spirits out in the white picket fence neighborhoods too.

Damn, the roads are narrowed and slippery, and the walkers seem to come out at night. Do these people think that Madison pedestrians have some sort of magical protected status shielding them from physical arm?

Even a dog understands that cars are big, fast and hard. Ya, you have the occasional idiot hound that will take a car on, but in general they have enough sense to stay clear.

I was waiting for the family, watching the storm last night around 5pm mid storm. When a very slow person in blaze orange was walking up the on ramp from Aberg to Packers going North. Just after the merge on to Packers a Metro bus came by and probably demanded they get on, because they were gone after it stopped. It could have been a big problem walking with traffic in a blinding snow storm. Way to go Metro!

A big mistake pedestrians and bikers make is that when they see a car, they assume the car can see them too. The fatal flaw in this perception is that cars cannot actually see. There is a person inside the car who might be paying attention and who might have a clear view.

Here's some options: Get some boots and walk on the sidewalk. Wear snowshoes. Don't go out walking.

When the streets are slippery and narrowed, it is arrogant to walk in the streets and assume that cars will see and avoid you. The first thing a driver instinctively does when he sees people walking close to the traffic lane is slow down. Putting on the brakes in an icy patch can cause a brief loss of control.

I'm not saying it is NEVER appropriate to walk in the street, but people have to use common sense. I see pedestrians acting like it is their God-given right to walk where they want to.

I had one today on E wash, walking against traffic half in the right lane. No idea if it had to do with snowy sidewalks or if he was just being a dick. If you're going to do it you should make an obvious effort to move over or step to the side when a car comes past.

And there was the bike rider on E Gorham an hour ago, insisting on "Taking The Lane" during rush hour. No intention here of starting a bike argument, but fuck you AND the point you're trying to make. Bike boulevard, 2 blocks over, it's there for a reason.

Personal to idiot-jerk I saw on Ingersoll today:It's annoying enough that you think it's acceptable to walk down the very middle of the street, but could you at least take off your damn headphones so you can hear the angry cars gunning their engines menacingly behind you? Oh, and that guy honking wasn't me -- he was three cars back, I think (and probably stuck in the intersection at Willy while we all waited for you to mosey along at a snail's pace.)

Huckleby wrote: I see pedestrians acting like it is their God-given right to walk where they want to.

What The Lord giveth, Huckleby taketh.

Heee, Heee, I only wish....

(There was some heart-wrenching video out of Cairo today that showed Mubarak supporters driving large SUVs through crowds, blithefully mowing-down protesters. Unbelievable. )

Listen, Big Ben, if you claim people have an absolute right to walk where they want to, then presumably The Creater also endows motorists with their own absolute pursuit of happiness. As the old bumper sticker says, "If you don't like my driving, stay the hell off the sidewalks."

Huckleby wrote:Here's some options: Get some boots and walk on the sidewalk. Wear snowshoes. Don't go out walking.

For some people, "don't go out walking" means "don't go to work" or "don't go to school."

Huckleby wrote:Putting on the brakes in an icy patch can cause a brief loss of control.

Here's some options: Get some Blizzaks and don't drive like a douche. Let up on the accelerator instead of putting on the brakes. Don't go out driving.

In all my years of pedestrian commuting, I haven't walked more than a handful of blocks in the street—but I'm a strong walker with no balance problems. Unshoveled sidewalks can be really treacherous, especially once the icy cowpaths form. I can see why people sometimes choose the street. I agree, though, it isn't safe.